December 7,
2012 —
Wargaming is pleased to announce the launch of the
Spitfire Project blog, which provides a first-hand account of the
expedition to discover the fate of the lost Spitfires reportedly
buried at RAF airfields in Myanmar at the end of WW2.

The blog—authored by team members Tracy Spaight, Director
of Special Projects at Wargaming, Dr. Adam Booth of Imperial
College of London, and the project's Archaeologist Andy
Brockman—will take the reader on a journey from the Burma
Campaign of 1942-1945 through the present day. The blog follows the
team on their quest to secure permission to dig in Myanmar, the
archival sleuthing to determine what happened in Mingaladon in
1945, and finally the blow by blow coverage of the geophysical
survey and archaeological excavation, set to begin in early January
2013.

The expedition may unearth the planes – if they are indeed
there – but it will also shed light on the Burma Campaign.
The War in the China-Burma-India Theatre was one of the longest,
bloodiest and least known theaters even at the time—not for
nothing did the British 14th Army christen themselves “the
Forgotten 14th”. The conflict involved thousands of military
men from Britain, the US, Japan, India, Australia, China, and the
people of Burma itself.

“This project to investigate the legend of buried
Spitfires at Mingaladon Airfield is a chance to see a microcosm of
that forgotten war and recover the historical and material traces
of the people whose lives it impacted,” said Andy Brockman.
“We hope to glimpse the material traces of the lives of the
service men and women of the many nations who found themselves at
Mingaladon, but also the traces of the war's impact on the local
people.”

Joining the expedition are Martin Brown and Rod Scott, leading
authorities in Conflict Archaeology, as well as Dr. Adam Booth and
Dr. Roger Clark, geophysicists who have worked with David Cundall
(who has led the project since the late 1990s). Dr. Clark and Dr.
Booth will work in cooperation with retired Myanmar geologist Prof.
Soe Thein. In the best traditions of CSI and a Police Procedural,
Wargaming has given the team a completely free hand to follow all
the evidence and for the first time investigate scientifically the
legend of iconic military aircraft buried at Mingaladon at the end
of World War II. “We have a great mystery and a
compelling story taking place in a beautiful and often troubled
country which is now re-emerging onto the world stage in one of the
most culturally rich places in the world,” said Tracy
Spaight.

The team departs for Myanmar in January 2013 to begin the survey
and excavation at Mingaladon.

About Wargaming

Wargaming is an award-winning online game developer and
publisher and one of the leaders in the free-to-play MMO market.
Founded as a privately held company in 1998, Wargaming has shipped
more than 15 titles and employs over 1200 people across such key
regions as North America, Europe, Russia, Asia, and Australia.
Currently, Wargaming is focused on its team-based MMO war series
dedicated to mid-20th century warfare that will include the
company's flagship armored MMO World of Tanks, launched in April
2011 and currently boasting 45 million players worldwide, the
flight combat World of Warplanes, named one of the most anticipated
MMOs, and the naval World of Warships, scheduled for release in
2013. In June 2012, Wargaming announced the Wargaming.net Service,
the epicenter of the online battle gaming universe that will gather
the series under a single portal —
www.wargaming.net.